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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25529803">My Roommate: Matt Murdock</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueBioluminescence/pseuds/BlueBioluminescence'>BlueBioluminescence</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Earth-65 Matt/Foggy Stories [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Daredevil (Comics), Spider-Gwen (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And also a pining idiot that doesn’t actually know how to tell Foggy he wants him in his life, Earth-65, Matt Murderdock - Freeform, Other, Pining, and is in denial, it’s not actually mutual because Foggy doesn’t even know what’s happening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:15:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,335</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25529803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueBioluminescence/pseuds/BlueBioluminescence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Foggy moves out of his dorm room in Colombia thinks that he is saying goodbye to the one-bedroom and sharing-all-your-living-space situation.<br/>He really should have known better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Matt Murdock &amp; Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Earth-65 Matt/Foggy Stories [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1828735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>166</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just a fast and sweet mess of a thing</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>My Roomate: Matt Murdock</h3><p>When Foggy moves out of his dorm room in Colombia and into a one bedroom in Hell’s Kitchen he thinks that he is, not exactly saying goodbye to one Matt Murdock, but that he is at least saying goodbye to the one-bedroom with two-beds and sharing-all-your-living-space situation. </p><p>Not that he hated living with Matt. In fact he was pretty sure Matt hated living with <em> him </em> rather then the other way around. But, well, Matt is...something, and living with him was also something, but having a place of his own as an adult? Now that <em> feels </em> like something.</p><p>He still isn’t completely sure what those three somethings are but he <em> is </em>pretty sure the last one is positive.</p><p>Which is why he is a little surprised to wake up on his second day at his new place, at what his alarm tells him in 5:35,  to noises coming from his kitchen. He grabs the baseball bat he keeps next to his bed, because he’s not an idiot, and makes his way out in nothing more then his pajamas, only to pause in the near complete darkness to see a very familiar figure rummaging through his cupboards.</p><p>“Nothing in here is labeled.” Matt tells him because of course he knows that Foggy is there, somehow, because he <em> always </em> knows. “Did you lose the braille labeler again? Where is your coffee?” And Foggy sighs, resigns himself to the fact that he <em> knew </em> moving out of his shared living space with Murdock wouldn’t completely remove the man from his life, and goes to help.</p><p>He also reminds himself to buy a second braille labeler since Matt has, apparently, forgotten that that was <em> his </em> to take to wherever it is he is living these days.</p><p>———</p><p>Wherever Matt is living these days must be terrible. Or maybe is has too small of a kitchen for Matt’s liking because, more often than not, Foggy wakes up to find Matt cooking in his apartment. </p><p>It’s kind of a novel thing really. There dorm room hadn’t had a full kitchen and while they had a microwave and a mini fridge it’s nothing like watching Matt with a knife.</p><p>Matt is <em> terrifying </em> with a knife.</p><p>“Please don’t cut off your finger Matt.” Foggy says, watching him chop onions for something he is cooking. That knife is moving <em> way </em> too fast for Foggy’s liking. “I’m still buying stuff for this place and dish towels are on that list.” And they just got bumped up in his mind to a top priority because the paper towels he had been living with so far really weren’t going to cut it now. </p><p>The bastard just gives Foggy a wide grin and, two seconds later, Foggy is being presented with a slightly cut pointer finger. </p><p>“Whoops~” Murdock <em> purrs </em>at him as if having cut the tip of his finger was nothing and Foggy curses under his breath and goes to bundle the cut against a paper towel and get his first aid kit. </p><p>He consoles himself with the fact that the cut really wasn’t that deep and that Matt, damn him, seems more entertained with once more being in Foggy’s care then annoyed by it.</p><p>————</p><p>The first time Foggy wakes up in the middle of the night to find Matt passed out on the free end of his new double-size bed he assumes that Matt had gotten drunk, or more likely hurt, and that Foggy’s place was just closer. He didn’t let himself think too hard about <em> how </em> Matt had gotten in. Foggy hadn’t had time to get Matt a spare key yet, since he has realized by this point that it’s pointless not to, but he knew for a fact that Matt had always been very good at getting into places he wasn't supposed to. Mainly Foggy’s snack-stash which he periodically dumped out no matter how Foggy locked it down.The man hated cheese puffs, but Foggy wasn’t going to change his ways for one man. Not even Murdock. </p><p>And so Foggy had resigned himself to the unexpected sleepover and turned over to go back to bed. </p><p>The fifth time it happened he was maybe starting to get a little worried. </p><p>The eleventh time Foggy knew something was up because the thing was: Matt didn’t sleep that much. Ever. He went through cycles of being awake for days before passing out for a few hours, and starting all over again. Sometimes he would take quick naps, here and there, but the moment you moved he would be up and awake as if he had never been asleep to start with. And so when Foggy kept finding Matt in his bed one to two times a week it started to paint a very specific image.</p><p>By the time he came home and his sheets had been replaced with expensive silk ones he knew he was right.</p><p>Foggy thought about broaching the topic carefully and lightly but quickly dismissed that idea. This was Matt he was going to be talking to. If he wasn’t blunt they would talk circles around each other for hours until they both forgot what they were talking about at all.</p><p>So instead he goes for the fast and sharp and asks the next morning as Matt, once more, cooks both of them breakfast in his now fully braille labeled kitchen, “Matt, are you living here?”</p><p>Matt pauses from where he had been stirring the oatmeal, not the microwave fast kind, but the steel-cut 30 minutes of cooking torture kind, to shoot a confused look at the far wall, not even bothering to turn towards Foggy’s general direction to his left.</p><p>“You’re my roommate, where else would I live?”</p><p>Foggy feels himself going through the five stages of grief at that, though he supposes he had had a bit of a head start the night before. He even tries to decide for a moment if it was worth it or not to explain to Matt that room assignments don’t actually follow you post-graduation before dismissing the thought. It would probably be pointless anyway. “Right.” He said instead after a moment, “No. Ya. Of course. I was just thinking that, since we can now, we might think about getting a two bedroom instead of a one bedroom when the lease is up.”</p><p>Matt seems to contemplate this for a moment, going back and stirring his oatmeal as he did so, before nodding. “An extra bedroom would be nice.” He agrees, “we can turn it into a training room.”</p><p>A training room. Of course.</p><p>Foggy studiously did <em> not </em> let himself fall into grief once more.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Guests</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Matt's guests are...something. Foggy doesn't really know what to do with them most days.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>My Roommates Guests</h3><p> </p><p>There had been an agreement between them when they had lived in their dorm room together which mostly consisted of: keep the floor clear. Keep any food to <em> your side of the room Franklin </em>and, most importantly: no guests.</p><p>Matt never seemed to have issues with this because Matt, as far as Foggy could tell, hated people. </p><p>So Matt didn’t bring people over, and that rule seemed to continue into ‘their’ new apartment (Foggy <em> really </em>needed to start bugging Matt for rent). Maybe this has to do with the fact that he’s hardly at ‘their’ apartment at all. Foggy sees him at home usually from 3am (if Matt wakes him up coming in) to 7am when they eat breakfast together (and isn’t that just domestic?). Foggy has no idea what Matt does until 3am but Foggy doesn’t think too hard on it. It’s really none of his business.</p><p>But Matt’s odd schedule means that guests are pretty damn rare, even if Matt did ever bring anyone around and the one time he <em> had </em>while they were at Colombia? Well, it had been a disaster and Foggy still isn’t sure the guest hasn’t just broken in given how pissed Matt had been to have her there.</p><p>Foggy had tried to bring guests home at the start, after all this wasn’t a dorm room anymore and he had public areas of his house now. But the first time Foggy had done it Matt made his angry and disgusted scrunched up face, complained about the smell for three hours, and then proceeded to buy them a whole new couch which...well it was a nicer couch so Foggy just sighed and went along with it. </p><p>Seemed Dorm Room rules still applied then.</p><p>That probably also meant that Foggy should have known better than to let Marci convince him to show her his new place. It definitely meant he should have known better then to bring <em> Marci </em> to his new place, and it wasn’t until she was pushing him back onto his bed, the bed he shared with <em> Matt </em>- because he still hadn’t figured out how to broach the topic of getting separate beds again - that he realized he had made a very big mistake. He had put a stop to things before they got too far because, ya, the thought of having sex in a bed he shared with Matt was a big turn off, and had cleaned and changed the sheets, sprayed down the whole apartment, and prayed to Matt’s god that it was enough to hide what had almost happened.</p><p>But things are never that easy with Matt and Foggy should have expected to be woken at 4am by Matt’s scrunched up disgusted face insisting the Foggy help him drag Foggy’s six-month old mattress out to set it on fire. All because Foggy had almost had a hook up in what was supposed to be his own damn bed.</p><p>“Maybe we should get two twins again?” Foggy askes, looking at the silver lining as he watched his mattress go up in flames. He wonders when the cops and fire department are going to show up.</p><p>Matt had just pursed his lips in the fire light and said nothing.</p><p>The next day there was a new double sized memory foam mattress where his old one had been with brand new silk sheets in bright red this time and Foggy gave up on the idea of ever having a sex life again.</p><p>———</p><p>Matt did end up having guests and they were far more interesting than Foggy’s ever were.</p><p>“He broke his leg.” Matt explaines, looking annoyed and disgusted at their couch, not quite at the man sitting upon it, leg elevated on Foggy’s coffee table in front of him. Said man was bald and Japanese and giving Foggy a mild wave.</p><p>“Okay.” Foggy replies slowly, taking in the white cast the man wore, “that...sucks?” He offered and he didn’t know if it is meant to be directed to the man on the couch who really doesn’t look too bothered by all of this or Matt who looks very bothered by all of this.</p><p>“He’s staying here.” Matt announces and Foggy blinks. </p><p>“Matt. We have <em> one </em> bed.” Foggy reminds him before he can worry about how that might sound to their guest. There guest, Otomo, doesn’t seem bothered by it though, or suprised. Matt seems contemplative which is better than annoyed but not by much.</p><p>Foggy comes home the next day to another new couch, this time one that pulls out into a bed.</p><p>Matt and Foggy sleep on the couch. </p><p>Otomo gets the their bed.</p><p>Foggy consoles himself with the fact that the couch is technically bigger than the double in the bedroom but, well, that doesn’t actually help all that much when Matt still insists on laying almost on top of him the few times the man actually does sleep.</p><p>Otomo stays for two weeks before he heads out on his crutches and doesn’t come back. Matt has his annoyed scrunched up face look on for the next additional week after that which makes Foggy start to worry that, somehow, Otomo had been a prisoner in their apartment and Foggy just hadn’t known, but eventually Matt seems to settle back down and things go back to some semblance of normal.</p><p>Foggy tries a few times to sleep on the pull out couch after that, just to maybe get the whole ‘two beds’ thing back into Matt’s head again but he always wakes up with Matt at his side no matter where he decides to sleep and so he figures that’s a lost cause too.</p><p>——— </p><p>There are a few women that Matt brings about, or more specifically that bring Matt about. They all tend to stare at him as they drag Murdock in through his windows at all hours of the night, as if trying to figure out if he is real.</p><p>“Please don’t ask.” Foggy always says instead, begs really, “I’m just-“ and turns over to go back to sleep. Or at least pretend to.</p><p>Sometimes he hears the women wake Matt out of whatever is wrong with him and ask “What the Hell Murdock?!”. </p><p>Most of the time he doesn’t catch Matt’s answer. </p><p>A few times he does. It’s always a bit of a mess though since Matt being dragged home only happens when <em> he </em> is a mess.</p><p>Most of the times the answer is just “that’s my roommate.”</p><p>One time the answer was: “mind your own fucking business.”</p><p>And on one very memorable occasion the answer was. “That’s Foggy. That-that’s Foggy, Foggy, Fog-“ before Foggy Can only assume Matt passed out again.</p><p>———</p><p>They get people dressed as Ninjas some times. Usually in their kitchen.</p><p>“Master Murdock said I could raid his fridge.” The latest one says and he is definitely way too young to be a ninja judging by his voice. Also it’s disturbing to hear Matt referred to as ‘master’ anything.</p><p>“Ya that...it’s fine. Go for it.” He says, waving his hand and putting his work bag down, “just um, if there is anything specific you want me to keep here I’ve got a list. A typed list so Matt can’t see it.” He offers because he doesn’t know what is up with all the ninjas but they all seem to be varying degrees of repressed as Matt. They only ever come here for the food and sometimes the bathroom. Probably because they don’t like going to the bodega across the way in their ninja uniforms or something, so Foggy is willing to supply them with small nice things every so often. He does the same for Matt after all, though he never knows if Matt actually notices or not.</p><p>“Oh.” The kid says, he looks nervous which they usually always do there first time running into Foggy, “some soda maybe? I like sprite.” </p><p>“Can do kid.” And when he turns back around the kid is gone and so is his left over chicken sandwich.</p><p>Honestly, out of all of Matt’s guests these are the ones he minds the least.</p><p>———</p><p>Electra comes to visit once, but the less said about that the better. The whole apartment is in ruin once everything is said and done and Matt has to call to give him the all clear from where Foggy has hidden out in their bathroom. Foggy has <em> no idea </em> how their couch ended up looking like it had been attacked by tigers, or how their kitchen cabinets ended up broken beyond repair but Matt promises to fix it and he does. They even get a brand new couch. Again.</p><p>Foggy is upset to learn that this one does not become a bed but he takes it for the hint that it is.</p><p>———</p><p>At first Foggy thinks that Spider-woman must be one of Matt’s guests because she is there at 10 am after Foggy has had to run back to his apartment to grab some files that he had forgotten.</p><p>He then thinks that Spider-woman might be spying on him and his cases when he realizes that the files he came back to get are in her hands and she is going through them.</p><p>“Um...What are you doing?” He asks, shocked and a little angry about this breach in privacy.</p><p>Spider-woman startles, obviously having not noticed him entering and yells, “Mister Nelson?!”</p><p>Foggy forces himself to take a deep breath and steps further into their apartment.</p><p>“What are you doing in my apartment Spider-woman,” he pushes, “and why are you going through my files?”</p><p>“Your files?” She asks, looking down at them confused, “I thought, but-this is <em> Murderdock’s </em>apartment!” </p><p>Foggy blinks at the name Murderdock and makes a note to maybe tease Matt about it later. Right now though Foggy isn’t sure if admitting to someone who calls Matt ‘Muderdock’ that they live together is a good idea. “Spider-woman, I <em>really </em> don’t want to assume the worst here but this <em> is </em> breaking and entering-“ he starts but Spider-woman is just <em> staring.  </em></p><p>“There is one bed.” She says slowly after a long moment, “and I <em> know </em>this is Murderdock’s apartment. I saw the swords.” and Foggy studiously doesn’t flinch at the knowledge that she apparently went through their bedroom too. In depth.</p><p>“Um…” he starts, trying to decide if it is worth explaining his complicated living situation to Spider-women of all people or if she is going to attack him for said living situation before she suddenly goes very still and very tense and shoots out the open window just as Matt storms into the apartment looking frankly murderous.</p><p>Hu. He wonders if <em> that </em>is where Matt picked up that particular nickname.</p><p>“A uh...friend of yours?” Foggy offers as he watches Matt go over to the window, tilt his head outside to listen.</p><p>“No.” He bites out. He is seething and then he is out the window chasing after her which...which is something.</p><p>Foggy studiously does not think about it.</p><p>———</p><p>Matt comes to visit him at work after that. It’s tense, or maybe the word is ‘intense’ because Matt doesn’t say anything, just stands in front of Foggy’s desk, his hand white knuckled on his cane and teeth grinding.</p><p>Foggy mostly just ignores him. Either Matt will figure out what he wants to say or he’ll leave.</p><p>He leaves.</p><p>———</p><p>Foggy doesn’t see Matt for a whole week after that.</p><p>And then he comes back to an empty apartment. As in actually empty except for a key and an address sprawled out haphazardly on a napkin in Matt’s terrible handwriting for Foggy to find.</p><p>Foggy sighs. Picks up the keys and his work bag, and heads to find his new place. It’s still in Hell’s Kitchen at least, and it has two-bedrooms, one of which has very obviously been converted into some kind of dojo.</p><p>Foggy goes to the other bedroom knowing exactly what he will find. One bed. </p><p>Great.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. My uh...Roommate?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Foggy realizes that maybe there is something more to this then he had originally thought</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This thing turned into an actual story which I really really hadn't been planning. The tags have been updated to match so um...enjoy?<br/>(this is a very short chapter but It's an important one XD)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>My uh…Roommate???</h3><p>Foggy thinks that he probably should have seen this coming.</p><p>But he doesn’t so, really, he can’t be blamed for slapping Matt across the face when he very unexpectedly kisses him.</p><p>———</p><p>They go out sometimes. It’s calculated. Third Friday of every month. On that day Matt will get this <em> look </em>on his face like he has eaten a lemon and Foggy just knows he’s going to be entertaining Matt the rest of the night. </p><p>Foggy calls them his ‘Matt’s Human Socialization Nights’ in his calendar. </p><p>And ya, it might not be that bad if it was anyone else but Matt. But Matt? Matt <em> hates it </em>. He comes to Foggy, a sour look on his face, waits for however long it takes for Foggy to break and finally suggest they go do something fun, and then proceeds to sulk, glare, and downright make a nuisance of himself until it is all over.</p><p>Foggy had tried, once, to get Matt to decide what they should do but Matt had just bared his teeth at him and said “that’s not how this works.” And, well, Foggy hadn’t really had an argument against that, even if he wasn’t sure what ‘this’ was.</p><p>One time he tried completely ignoring Matt and his sour lemon face and...well…</p><p>Well Matt had disappeared for a month, came back to him looking like death warmed over, and Foggy had been forced to take a week off to make sure Matt didn’t die in <em> their </em>bed.</p><p>So Foggy figures that dragging Matt out to places that he inevitably hates is the lesser of the two evils.</p><p>And, well, he maybe missed Matt just a bit in that month he was gone. But just a bit. </p><p>And then Matt tried to kiss him.</p><p>Which was...something.</p><p>———</p><p>“Matt I said I was sorry.” Foggy grumbles again from the kitchen where he is getting a bag of peas for Matt’s cheek. The slap hadn’t even been that <em> bad </em>, but for some reason Matt was insisting on the damn peas.</p><p>He was also sulking on their couch. </p><p>Which...alright.</p><p>“You going to tell me why you tried to kiss me just now?” Foggy prompts and Matt’s sulking turns into an angry snarl as he turns away. Foggy just sighs, wraps the peas in a tea-towel and goes to sit on the couch next to Matt. “Alright, turn towards me Murdock. I can’t do this with you facing away.”</p><p>Matt reluctantly does and Foggy presses the peas to Matt’s cheek. It’s hardly even red, the baby. Still, something in the press of the peas against his skin seems to relax Matt and Foggy watches his eyes close behind the red lenses as he leans into the cold contact. Into Foggy’s touch and-</p><p>Oh. Foggy thinks.</p><p>
  <em> Oh. </em>
</p><p>———</p><p>Their nights out had started with that same sour look on Matt’s face. It was their first year at Colombia. Their first semester even, and it had been a bad week. Even for Foggy it had been a bad week, but for Matt?</p><p>Well. He looked like it had been unbearable.</p><p>And so Foggy had done the only thing he could think to do, because no matter how odd and slightly terrifying his roommate was, Foggy was a friendly guy and he wasn’t about to leave Matt to sulk alone in their dorm room when Foggy planned to go out and get very very drunk.</p><p>Besides, drinking alone was just sad.</p><p>So he had dragged Matt out, hadn’t taken no for an answer, and proceeded to get both of them smashed.</p><p>Matt <em> hated </em>it, especially the next day, but he hadn’t vanished and he had drunk every drink Foggy had made him try and so Foggy chalked it up as a success. </p><p>When midterms rolled around the next month and Foggy insisted they go out again once they finished and Matt had once more been pissed and complained the whole time but he, once more, had stuck it out and hadn’t run off home and well, Foggy figured that was just Matt.</p><p>They did it again after finals.</p><p>And then the first week back to school.</p><p>And then Valentine's Day because they were both single so why not? </p><p>And then…well then it was any time Matt got that sour look on his face.</p><p>Slowly, very slowly, things started to click into place in Foggy’s mind.</p><p>“Matt.” Foggy says, and watches Matt blink open his eyes behind the lenses. Not that it makes a difference. He can’t look at Foggy, eyes open or not. “Matt- do you-are we-“ he tries and then stops. Stops and doesn’t say it because if he says it it will somehow become real. His revelation will become true, and all of this, this living together and going out once a month, and sharing a bed will <em> mean </em>something and Foggy...</p><p>Foggy is a coward.</p><p>“Are we alright?” He settles for instead. “I really am sorry for slapping you.”</p><p>Matt’s face does something that Foggy doesn’t really recognize but eventually nods and that…</p><p>that’s that.</p><p>———</p><p>Matt doesn’t kiss him again for a very long time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Deb interlude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Foggy does not think about his thing with Matt. He doesn’t think about it so hard that he gets a girlfriend. </p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>
  <span>A Deb interlude </span>
</h3><p>
  <span>Foggy does not think about his thing with Matt. He doesn’t think about it so hard that he gets a girlfriend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He actually hadn’t planned on getting one, hadn’t really thought about dating in… well in a very long time - he studiously doesn’t think about how long - but then he runs into Deb Aka: Debbie, Aka: Deborah Harris, and, well, things just click between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not like with Matt (and he really doesn’t let himself think about why he is comparing this to Matt) where every interaction was an uphill battle for even the smallest amount of give, this thing with Deb is easy, simple. They mesh together so perfectly that it’s like all the years between junior high and now had hardly existed at all. They are new people, sure, but there is still something comfortably familiar about her that he can’t help but think maybe they have a chance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so they start dating again. It’s a casual thing that is just as much friendship as anything else but Foggy thinks that it is honestly exactly what he needs right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt doesn’t like it. Of course he doesn’t. But honestly that’s nothing new. Matt has never liked any of Foggy’s girlfriends, but Foggy had never really paid that much attention to it. He had always let it slide in a “Matt is just doesn’t like anyone” kind of way. But now, with everything that happened and with the kiss, it’s hard to look at Matt’s scrunched up expression when Foggy gets back from a date with Deb and see anything besides jealousy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deb kisses him one night after they have been seeing each other for a month and a half and all Foggy can think is ‘Matt’s going to smell her on me’ which is probably not at all what he is supposed to think when kissing a woman he actually likes, so he forces the thought away and kisses Deb back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a little desperate, he is sad to admit, but she doesn’t complain and then they part ways and Foggy goes home. He showers and brushes his teeth and in the morning has breakfast with Matt and Matt looks upset and angry but he doesn’t say anything. Foggy is reminded of a politician's wife who studiously stands by her husband and ignores the mistress that is just down the hall so she can pretend everything's okay. It’s a little distressing but Foggy doesn’t let himself think about it any deeper than that because he is not dating Matt. He’s not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt seems to hate Deb more than the other girls Foggy has dated. A lot more. And maybe that is just because Foggy is paying attention now, or maybe it’s because Matt has kissed him now, but Foggy does not think that’s it because one day Matt’s ‘jealousy’ face shifts to a ‘shocked’ face and then to his ‘angry’ face and it’s that one that sticks. Foggy knows Matt’s angry face, it’s one of Matt’s favorites just after ‘annoyed and inconvenienced’ and he is pretty damn sure he has never seen Matt have that expression with any of the other women Foggy has dated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Foggy very studiously prays to Matt’s God that he will keep Matt from doing anything rash, like murdering Deb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Him and Deb date for nearly seven months because Foggy is a coward and he knows when he is running. When he is trying to cling to some kind of normalcy and how much more normal can you get then “high school sweethearts that meet up again and hit it off”? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His coworkers are happy for him, mostly, though that might be because he doesn’t really share his private life with any of them. Can’t share it really because his private life is Matt, the opposing counsel in so many of their cases, and ninjas in his kitchen, and spider-woman cornering him on his walks home to ask questions that Foggy really has no answer to...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so they are happy for him, or maybe just happy to see that Mister Nelson has an actual life that isn’t just work but it’s the same concept. And Foggy is happy too, Deb is great, she really is, but around six months Foggy starts to wonder if he is happy because he likes Deb or if he is only happy because she gives him a way to pretend that everything is alright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s cheating on you.” Matt tells him just before the seven month mark and, the thing is, Foggy isn’t actually surprised by the news. In fact he…he is a little relieved at the confirmation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya.” He agrees, pushing his eggs along his plate, unable to bring himself to eat them. “Ya I...kind of figured that out.” He thinks it’s probably because they aren’t having sex. Foggy had tried but it had never really felt right. He doesn’t like to think about why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you are just going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>put up with that?!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Matt yells at him and slams his fists into their kitchen table causing Foggy’s eggs to jump. Foggy looks up at him. Looks at the anger and hurt and frustration written so plainly across his face and thinks ‘you have been. Why shouldn’t I?’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he doesn’t, because that isn’t what any of this has been about. This had been about Foggy being a coward and running away from something he didn’t understand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He still doesn’t really understand it but one thing </span>
  <em>
    <span>has </span>
  </em>
  <span>become clear in all of this: Foggy’s dating life is officially over, just like his sex life had been the moment him and Matt started sharing a bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. No I’m not.” Foggy says softly and reaches across the table to lightly squeeze Matt’s trembling fist. “I’ll break it off with her tonight. Maybe-“ he licks his lips nervously, “maybe we can get some wine and put on some music to listen to when I get back?” Foggy asks lightly, “if you’re around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt doesn’t usually get home before 3 am but that night he is in by 11 and they put on some musical number that Foggy doesn’t recognize and drink two bottles of wine each and then pass out in bed together around the time the sun starts to rise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really hated her didn’t you?” Foggy asks when they are just on the verge of sleep and Matt is pressed against his side, head on his shoulder and arm slung over his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She was a bitch.” Matt grumbles, “she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>cheating </span>
  </em>
  <span>on you.” And Foggy thinks that there is something there, something more that Matt is not saying but Foggy lets it slide as they both drift to sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A month later Deb is in jail because her dad was apparently part of some criminal organization or something like that and, also apparently, there was enough evidence of Debs own involvement to get her locked up too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, Foggy thinks, he probably should have expected this and he really is just thankful she’s not dead.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. My Roommates Smile</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Foggy thinks a lot about Matt's smiles and maybe gets a clue...or at least a knife</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h3>My Roommates Smile.</h3><p>Foggy catches Matt chatting up a woman one day and it sparks something inside of him.</p><p>Foggy is realizing he has a lot of ‘somethings’ when it comes to Matt.</p><p>But this something isn’t jealousy, he is very aware of what jealousy feels like, It’s maybe something like surprise? Only that isn’t quite right either. He has always been somewhat aware that the ‘Matt’ that appears as soon as he leaves their apartment is very different from the ‘Matt’ within it, The suave flirting and cocky attitude is something Foggy has seen before and even had the annoyance of having to interact with once or twice while working, so really it isn’t <em> that </em> unexpected.</p><p>So it’s not completely surprise. No, no this something is more like…curiosity. maybe.</p><p>Because Matt is hitting on this woman and he is smiling. It’s a fake smile but a smile nonetheless and Foggy…</p><p>Foggy is having the very sudden realization that he has never seen Matt smile.</p><p>Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but this fake smile doesn’t count, nor does the self-satisfied grin that Matt gives people on the Courtroom floor, or his too wide grins that are too knowing and more a baring of teeth then anything else. Those aren’t smiles. The emotions behind them aren’t joy, or happiness, or anything really positive at all.</p><p>And so he stands there and watches Matt across the Courthouse as he flirts, as he does something that looks like a laugh, as he leans in to kiss this woman on the cheek, and as he smiles a fake smile that has even less true emotion behind it then Matt’s smirks or grins.</p><p>He thinks.</p><p>He thinks for a very long time.</p><p>————</p><p>He stares at Matt the next morning at breakfast. He doesn’t feel bad about staring because Matt might know some really freaky things sometimes and might not always act as blind as he is but Foggy knows that he is blind and he also knows that Matt never knows when someone is looking at him.</p><p>And so Foggy stares and tries to imagine a smile on that face. Not a smirk or a grin or something fake. A smile. A real one.</p><p>He can’t.</p><p>“Matt.” He asks after a moment and watches as Matt pauses and does his head tilt thing that means he is listening. “Can you smile for me, real quick?”</p><p>Matt stares. Not at Foggy, but kind of across the room, and then his mouth twists into a ‘are you kidding me’ look.</p><p>It’s not a smile.</p><p>“Come on Matty. I’ve never seen you smile before. Just once?” And he doesn’t know why he is fixated on the point but Matt’s face twists again into a snarl and he stands, picking up his plate and dumping the rest into the trash before leaving. He doesn’t say goodbye, but then again he never does.</p><p>———</p><p>He smiles at Foggy that night at 3 am when he gets home. It’s a wrong twisted thing. A mockery of a real smile. A forced softness that the wearer does not feel. He <em> smiles </em> in the darkness of their bedroom and says, in a honey-sweet voice that is just as wrong as that smile, “sorry Fogs, I didn’t mean to wake you.” As he presses a kiss to Foggy’s forehead. </p><p>It’s the first time Matt has kissed any part of him since Foggy slapped him and he never wants Matt to do it again. Not like this. Not with <em> that </em> smile and <em> that </em> voice. Not with this fake sweetness and softness that he obviously does not feel.</p><p>“Okay.” Foggy says, maybe still sounding half asleep but that smile and that fake-tenderness on Matt’s face are something out of a nightmare, “you’ve made your point,” and then clarifies, “about the smile. I never want to see that one again.” </p><p>And Matt’s face does something complicated. It looks maybe confused for a moment, like that wasn’t the response he was expecting, and then angry, and then finally something that is maybe relief, and then he is crawling into bed beside Foggy.</p><p>He might cling a little tighter to Foggy that night but Foggy really isn’t too sure.</p><p>———</p><p>Foggy sees ‘that’ smile a few more times, maybe because he’s gotten a little fixated on Matt’s ‘smiles’, but it’s never directed at him. He and Matt really don’t run in the same circles during the day and so unless Matt drops by his office they only really run into each other at the courthouse. Because of that he really doesn’t see Matt enough to see him ‘smile’ at anyone.</p><p>But he does see it every so often, and it’s just as fake as ever. A smile that stretches a little too far, like he is trying to remember what a smile looks like and is mimicking it badly, a false happiness and cordial attitude. Foggy has to wonder how the people that Matt ‘smiles’ at don’t see right through it. Don’t notice the strain behind it. The way his voice, the few times Foggy is close enough to hear it, is too sickly sweet and dripping with just held-back venom.</p><p>But they don’t seem to notice anything off about it. In fact many of them seem absolutely taken by it. But Foggy...well...Foggy would be happy to never see it again and can only be thankful that Matt hasn’t turned it on him again since that night.</p><p>It doesn’t stop him wondering what a real smile would look like on Matt’s face though, or exactly how he can pull one out. He thinks maybe about kissing Matt to see if that would draw out a smile and quickly discards the idea. He is not that much of a jerk and he is pretty sure that would only lead to Matt staring at him dumbfounded rather than smiling, and so he thinks about other things he can do.</p><p>———</p><p>The list of other things Foggy can do turns out to be severely limited because there wasn’t actually much Foggy could think of that he didn’t <em> already </em> do. At least as far as things that were likely to pull a smile from other people. He always made sure Matt’s favorite tea and coffee were available. He made sure all the fruits and vegetables he bought were pesticide free from the farmers market like Matt seemed to prefer, he made sure all washing and cleaning products, for both them and for the house, were scentless. He even made sure to take his suits to the same dry cleaners as Matt just to make sure he wasn’t upsetting Matt’s nose more than what was unavoidable.</p><p>And so really all the mundane little things were out, and Foggy wasn’t about to sacrifice his junk food for this, not at all. Besides, it was obvious these things weren’t enough to pull a smile from Matt anyway since Foggy hadn’t seen one before which only really left one real option: gifts.</p><p>———</p><p>It took a while, half a day in fact, but Foggy had managed to find the softest throw blanket he could in New York. It had cost a pretty penny but Foggy figured that it was probably worth the cost because if Matt didn’t like it, Foggy certainly did.</p><p>He washed it three times when he got home, just to be sure it was as clean as he could get it, and then laid it carefully on their bed. Foggy even went the extra step to text Matt about it, saying bluntly: “I got a new blanket just so you are aware.” to make sure the new smell and texture wasn’t a surprise, and then he waited.</p><p>———</p><p>He wakes up to Matt coming to bed - mostly because Foggy had been a little antsy about trying to see what Matt would do with his unofficial present so his sleep had been pretty restless - and watches as Matt’s fingers meet the soft mass at the end of the bed. He watches as Matt seems to contemplate it as he pets it, running his fingers over it again and again before picking it up, bringing it to his face, and smelling it.</p><p>Whatever he found must have been satisfactory because soon after that Matt is in bed, blanket not on him, but in his arms as if he was cuddling it, and pressed close to Foggy’s side like usual.</p><p>And that was it.</p><p>No smile.</p><p>Foggy frowns. Well. Alright then.</p><p>Time to up his game.</p><p>———</p><p>They are having pancakes when Foggy slides his next gift idea over. It feels like a bit of a risk in truth, but he hopes it’s not much of one. He knows that Matt loves music, and that he wears earbuds on his walk to work and hums under his breath as he cooks breakfast, and so Foggy thought, well, why not feed this little joy of his?</p><p>Foggy isn’t confident enough in his knowledge of Matt’s music taste and so he goes for the safer route: headphones. Specifically noise canceling ones. He was careful when picking them out, doing as much research as he could before purchasing because he knows just how sensitive Matt’s hearing is and he wants these to be something that actually help him.</p><p>“What are these?” Matt asks as he grabs the box Foggy pushes his way and feels along the side of it.</p><p>“A gift. Some headphones.” Foggy explains as Matt very carefully opens the box and takes them out, feeling slowly around them. “I’m pretty sure you’ve had your current earbuds since law school and I figured you might like something new. They’re noise canceling. And red.” Foggy offers and watches Matt’s frown deepen. “You um...want me to show you how they work?” He offers and Matt very slowly nods.</p><p>Foggy stands and goes over to him then, breakfast forgotten for now, and guides Matt’s fingers to each of the buttons and switches and tells him what each one does. There are only four. One that turns on the noise canceling, one that starts and stops the music, and two that control the volume. Matt’s frown doesn’t change but he seems to be focusing on memorizing the feel of each button so Foggy lets it slide as they plug the headphones into Matt’s phone so he can try it out.</p><p>He sits there, face completely blank, as he supposedly listens to one song, and then another, and as the silence stretches Matt’s expression does not change but his body does, relaxing increment by increment. Foggy moves back over to finish his breakfast.</p><p>It’s about ten minutes later when Foggy can’t take it anymore and he asks: “so I take it they work?”</p><p>Matt seems to actually startle at the question and then snatches the headphones off as if they burnt him and nods. “Yes. Yes. They are...nice.” He offers and Foggy is pretty sure that is a shining review from Matt.</p><p>“Great. I’m glad you like them.” Foggy offers and Matt just nods again, fingers stroking up and down the edge of the headphones once more. He very obviously really likes the gift.</p><p>No smile though, not even a small up turn of his lips. Just a relaxed contentedness in his whole body as he turns back to his meal.</p><p>Foggy is going to need to pull out the big guns then. Or, more specifically, knives.</p><p>———</p><p>Foggy knows nothing about knives. Or swords. Or weapons in general, and so the next time one of Matt’s little ninja buddies drops by while Foggy is home Foggy corners them.</p><p>“Look. I promise I won’t tell Matt you told me anything. I just...need some advice with this.”</p><p>The ninja, one of the older women that Foggy has met a few times. Foggy calls her ‘slippery elm’ because she is the one that asks him to carry tea that has that in it. Foggy knows most of the regulars by the things they ask him to keep on hand. Right now she is holding her thermos, a gift from Foggy, in her hands and just staring at him through the slit in her mask. Foggy decides to interpret that as a good thing and just stares back. Waiting.</p><p>Thankfully something must have gotten through to her in that silence because after a few long minutes she nods and says. “We’ll be in touch.”</p><p>It sounds a bit ominous honestly, but maybe that’s just the ninja outfit, so Foggy figures he would just go with it and hope for the best.</p><p>Two days later he is abducted. Or, more specifically…no. Actually, abducted is pretty damn accurate.</p><p>They put a bag over his head and everything.</p><p>“We cannot allow you contact with our dealer.” Slippery Elm says as she pulls the bag off his head and presents him with a table full of weapons. Specifically of the cutting sort.</p><p>“Um.” Foggy said, looking up at her, and then at the three other ninjas in the room, he is pretty sure that is Beef Jerky, and Chips Ahoy, and, oh hey, Otomo is here. He’s the only one who Foggy has actually been given a proper name for.</p><p>“Hey Otomo. It’s uh...nice to see your leg is fully healed.” He offers with a nervous wave. It’s been years since Otomo broke his leg but, well Foggy hasn’t seen him since. At least, not that Foggy knows about. He is pretty sure he would have recognized Otomo’s voice after living with him for two weeks if he had dropped by in a ninja uniform. GIven that he isn’t wearing one now though Foggy kind of assumes he doesn't have one.  </p><p>Otomo simply nods at him from across the table and says. “I did not get a chance to thank you properly for your hospitality Mister Nelson. Please consider this my thanks.” He says, indicating to the table full of very sharp things which...right. Right. </p><p>“You guys have, um...any suggestions?” He asks, feeling very overwhelmed, and proceeds to spend the next two hours learning more about knives then he ever thought he would in his life.</p><p>———</p><p>He gets Matt what the ninjas call a “kyoketsu-shoge” which Foggy can’t pronounce accurately so he just calls it “a knife on a chain” and is promptly re-masked and taken back home all before 10 pm. </p><p>Foggy then proceeds to stay up until 3 am when Matt gets back, mostly through nerves and will power alone, because he is pretty sure this is a gift he needs to present to Matt in person.</p><p>Matt seems startled to see him awake, and Foggy watches as Matt’s nose twitches before- whoa okay.</p><p>“Little close there buddy.” He says, trying to push Matt’s face away from him. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Matt asks, no, demands and, holy shit Matt looks pissed. His voice is all deep and angry and his teeth are showing. Foggy thinks he may have misstepped somewhere because Matt’s hands are suddenly all over him and not in a sexy way but in a ‘looking for injuries’ way.</p><p>“Matt. Matt I’m fine.” Foggy tries to reassure but Matt’s expression only turns darker and suddenly Foggy’s hands are pinned to the kitchen table he had been sitting at and had only stood up from upon hearing Matt get home. </p><p>“What did they do to you?” He demands, voice still dark and angry, “What did they threaten you with?!” Which, okay.</p><p>“Who? Matt I think-“</p><p>“The<em> Hand! </em> I can smell them on you! steal and machine oil. <em> Knives. </em>What did they-“</p><p>And then Matt bumps Foggy into the table hard enough to jostle the very carefully wrapped knife that’s on it.</p><p>Matt freezes.</p><p>“Um...suprise?” Foggy offers. “I uh...I asked some of the ninjas that drop by to help me pick it out for you.” Foggy says softly because Matt is still very close and his ears are very sensitive. “I didn’t mean to worry you. Or freak you out because you are obviously very freaked out right now.” And Foggy is rambling which he does when <em> he </em> is freaked out which is- great.</p><p>Foggy forces his mouth shut. He feels one of Matt’s hands which had been pinning Foggy’s own down to the table move very slowly and very carefully towards the gift, not moving away from Foggy as he does so. Foggy can hear the chain rattle as Matt picks it up and brings it up between them. Foggy swallows nervously because, ya, that is a very sharp and dangerous knife very close to his throat but Matt is letting go of Foggy’s other hand and bringing that one up between them too. Foggy watches him feel the knife through the cloth it is wrapped in with careful and soft movements before he lets the cover fall away.</p><p>The chain slowly unravels between them and he hears Matt swallow.</p><p>“Foggy?” He asks and, oh. Okay. That’s… Foggy’s not sure he has ever heard Matt’s voice sound so breathless and broken.</p><p>“Is it- do you like it? They had a lot of options for me to pick from and I really-“</p><p>And then Matt is kissing him which, alright. Alright. </p><p>It’s just as heavy and desperate as the first one Matt planted on him years ago and Foggy doesn’t even slap Matt this time in his surprise. He does bring his hands up to Matt’s arms though to hold them tight, neither pushing him away or pulling him closer. More just steadying him. Foggy isn’t exactly sure where the very sharp knife that had been between them just a second ago has gone, because it’s definitely not there anymore since Matt’s chest is pressed flush against Foggy’s own, but it must have gone somewhere. Foggy just hopes it’s not somewhere that will end with him accidentally getting stabbed.</p><p>“Yes.” Matt breathes against his lips once the kiss ends but-whoa, okay, more kissing then, and more, “<em> yes, Foggy yes </em>,” because apparently Matt really liked the knife. </p><p>And at some point Foggy realizes he has started kissing Matt back and that’s...something. Definitely something.</p><p>He has a lot of ‘somethings’ when it comes to Matt.</p><p>And when Matt finally breaks away he is flushed red under their kitchen light and his lips wet from all the kissing and he is panting heavily.</p><p>And he is happy. He is ungodly happy and it’s all in his eyes, completely blind and unfocused but shining with complete and utter joy and wonder under his red glasses.</p><p>But he is not smiling. His lips aren’t turned up in any way, in fact he is a little slack-jawed with shock which is actually exactly how Foggy imagined Matt would look if they did kiss and Foggy didn’t slap him.</p><p>He <em> is </em> happy though. Happier than Foggy has ever seen him, but he is not smiling and Foggy is maybe starting to think that that’s not important anyway because all of the smiles Foggy has caught Matt giving people have been fake and this, this happiness is very very real.</p><p>Foggy kisses him this time because, well, maybe it was time for him to stop being a coward.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is the end of this story! I decided to end it here with Foggy finally deciding to give a relationship with Matt a shot and Matt...uh...maybe thinking that they are *way* further along then that....<br/>Poor idiots.<br/>Thank you for reading and going on this story with me!<br/>PS: The choice for Foggy to get Matt a kyoketsu-shoge has to do with the fact that it reminds me of a sharper version of his staff in the comics in which are able to do a whole grappling hook kind of thing.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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